Monthly Archives: October 2016

The company, based out of Greensboro, has always had a top-notch almost specialty type store. You could go there for great local items, that awesome butcher shop, fresh seasonal produce, hard to find oils, sauces…a stellar cheese section, etc. But you couldn’t just find your common every day items (think common name brand toilet paper and name brand laundry detergent, a baby section or Cheerios). TFM took a cue from customers and expanded their offerings, including a baby section AND a vitamin and body shop. There’s also a huge focus on more local items, highlighting the farms that supply them and easy signage for gluten-free, non-gmo and organics. I was at the Grand Re-Opening on Highwoods in Greensboro and they took me on a tour. You’ll find a similar change at the other two Triad stores (Winston-Salem and on Lawndale in Greensboro) and eventually they’ll roll out the Raleigh area and Charlotte in late November and in continuing waves throughout the country through early 2018.

Here’s a sneak peek at what has changed. But you should check them out in person. I think you’ll be happy about what you’ll find.

Local, highlighting the farms in the region….

Same great items you’ve loved plus a new vitamin and body section with a staff member for that section to answer your questions…this used to be the wine section which is now stacked and categorized nearby…

More

Bakery & Butcher

Streamlined Wine Section

Health and Body

Health and Body

And now you can do your shopping in one place with those non-specialty items that you probably had to go make a run for at a 2nd stop like baby items, pet and paper products…

….

I love going to The Fresh Market. I always have. I joke with my kids that they take away from the experience because they are always rushing me (when I don’t want to be rushed…not there). Then there’s the whole bribing with a chocolate chip cookie, etc. So you know what we’re dealing with here. But the chocolate chip cookie is so worth it 🙂 The most dramatic change is apparent when you nl longer see the bins and antiques full of the bulk candies and nuts. Those items now have their own row to make room for new rows of the expanded offerings.

One thing I loved is the great sampling and pre-prepped foods area right in front. You don’t have to go to the back. Get in and out with your chopped veggies and some chicken kabobs or meatballs, and turn around and check out and you’re out the door without walking more than 25 feet. The recipes and samplings change every week. Dinner is prepped and all you have to do is cook it. Also special to the Highwoods store, is a juice and smoothie bar out front.

Juice & smoothies at Highwoods

It’s almost like The Fresh Market took a little bit about what we love from some of our favorite grocery chains. The fun and ease of specially priced items, pre-chopped and ready to cook meals like you’ll find at Publix, easy identifiable organic, non-gmo and gluten-free as we’d find at Whole Foods, and lots more local items marked “local” and now the every day items. They’ve also lowered prices on thousands of items while keeping that awesome cheese shop, bakery, butchery and deli that you’ve loved for years. Nothing was taken away, just added awesomeness. Just a note…if you don’t see something there that you know is a must, you can visit their website and make a suggestion.

So foodies, they’ve given me a $50 gift card to giveaway to a lucky reader. Just comment below or on my social media pages what your favorite item is at The Fresh Market. I’ll draw next Friday!

Foodies, you know I ain’t shy about how much I love Got To Be NC Competition Dining. The Battle of The Champions takes place in mid-November and tickets are on sale now! It’s a foodie lovers dream..five nights of the state’s best, battling it out for the ultimate prize of Best in the State.

It all happens on the campus of NC State at the Dorothy & Roy Park Alumni Center. Tickets prelim and semi-final events are $119 plus tax/service fee and the Championship is $139 plus tax/service fee. Ticket price does not include beverages.

Grab a loved one and your friends to pull for your favorite. You’ll walk away completely full and impressed and loving what these chefs do with local, seasonal ingredients. It’s a blast. It’s a locavore’s dream and the fellowship over food…it’s kind of indescribable. We hope we see you!

If you live in Nor’ Cackalacky, you’ve probably heard of Cackalacky. Heck even if you live farther away, you might have heard of this amazing NC-based company with its delicious sauces and peanuts. They do just a few things. But that’s what makes them so stupendous. This Siler City-based company does those things and they do them very well.

What could be under here?? Revealing the prize package!

The Cackalacky Sweet Cheerwine BBQ Sauce is a legend unto itself. It was a “favorite thing” a few years ago…you can read about it here. Add that to another zingy sauce made from Sweet Potatoes. They even have their own eponymously named beer, brewed by Full Steam Brewery. It’s a wonderful ginger-spiced pale ale that’s great with all things grilled and party. There’s also Cackalacky Spiced Peanuts made similarly to the Spicy sauce (they are QUITE spicy-mmmmm) and now….the Beer-B-Q Peanuts…Jumbo-sized peanuts with a hint of beer and BBQ. I’ve been waiting several weeks for these little legumes to make their appearance at my local Lowes Foods. Getting a little impatient with my store, I reached out to the folks at Cackalacky and they sent me a prize pack for a lucky winner (and a taste for me)! Thanks, friends!

A glimpse of the prize pack with one of those nuts being for “research purposes by me.”

By the way, the Beer-B-Q nuts are utterly fantastic. They are sweet and savory with a bit of a kick and hint of beer. They are so good just for snacking but I bet they’d be great in a salad too.

In the prize pack, a couple of the new Beer-B-Q nuts, a large bottle of the Cackalacky Cheerwine Sweet Sauce, and some swaggy items you’ll love, like a souvenir glass, frisbee, bumper stickers to proclaim your fandom and some coozies. Fun!

Comment below follow us on Facebook and reply on your favorite way to enjoy anything Cackalacky. Tag a friend and share the post too. At the end of next week, we’ll draw a winner. And then we’ll arrange a way to get your winnings to you. 🙂

And stay tuned for the holidays. I have a feeling these nuts and maybe another Cackalacky item might make it on the 2016 triadfoodies Holiday Gift Guide. And you’ll want to see how to get your hands on that!

You can find Cackalacky in many local grocery stores. If you’re in NC, just check out the “local” section.